Teacher’s Brain

How To Create A Stellar All About Me Presentation For Back-To-School Night

It’s that time of year again! Time to start preparing for your back-to-school night or “Meet The Teacher” night. If you are looking for an easy and super quick way to make an “About Me” presentation that will wow your new students and their parents, I have you covered! 

As many of you know, I love Google Slides. They are so versatile and easy to use in-person or online for virtual learning! You can easily personalize them and add your own flair without paying an extra cent on supplies. This makes them perfect for teachers looking to save on classroom spending. 

With all of that in mind, I created this All About Me Presentation Google Slides resource to make your back-to-school night experience easy and stunning. 

all about me

This All About Me resource comes with 13 slides that you can easily edit and personalize with your unique personality. The fun and colorful theme will help you make a great first impression! 

all about me

 

After back-to-school night is complete, you can still use these templates for your Star Student! Just switch out your information and add student info for a fun and unique way for students to feel special! 

all about me

Check out the video tutorial for how to use these Google Slides!


If you are looking for an easy print-and-go resource? You can easily print these! This resource also comes with a black and white version. 

all about me

If you love Google Slides as much as I do, check out my post here on how to use them to create a virtual calendar for your Calendar Time this year! 

You can also check out my Virtual Calendar Google Slides Templates here. 

Looking for more back-to-school ideas, check out these classroom decor tips!


 

Mother’s Day Celebration Ideas

I have always loved celebrating Mother’s Day in my classroom, and students do too! Mothers (or other primary caregivers) are without a doubt a huge and important part of a student’s life. They have unlimited amounts of love and guidance for their children, so students love to celebrate them!  

One of my favorite ways to do this is to have Mother’s Day Tea.

This is a special day where we show moms how much we care by having cookies and tea with them. 

Before the party you can have the students decorate the cookies especially for their moms using premade sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. You can go around and take pictures of students with their moms to give to them at the end of the year. 

To go along with tea time, students create these sweet Mother’s Day lapbooks.

Mother's Day

With this craft, they can color and decorate a special gift for their mom. They can write a letter to mom, draw a picture of the two of them, give them tea, share what they love about her, create Mother’s Day coupons, and more. This gift is sure to be a hit with all moms!  

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Tea may be a little more challenging this year because of the pandemic. Some classes are in person again, but some students are still learning from home. If you aren’t able to bring moms into the classroom, you can send these gifts home with students as well. 

Mother's Day

If you are distance learning, and need something kids can gift virtually, they can create these digital Mother’s Day cards.

Mother's Day

This resource comes with 10 Google Slides. Just use the edit boxes to add your own text, add an image of mom and print to give to mom or their caregiver. 

Mother's Day Mother's Day

 

It may be a little different this year but students can still spoil their moms and show appreciation for all they do with these fun resources.

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Mother’s Day with your students? Let me know in the comments!

Mother's Day

 


 

Virtual Field Trips For End Of The Year Celebrations

The school year is wrapping up! It was definitely a different year than anything we have experienced before. Many students had a hybrid learning experience and some did distance learning all year long. Teachers definitely had to adapt and find new ways to stay connected with students from afar. 

Another thing that wasn’t possible this year was field trips! I always loved going on field trips with my students. It is so refreshing to get out of the classroom for a new kind of learning experience. 

If you are missing field trips and looking for something exciting and new that you can do from the safety of your classroom (or home for those who are distance learning), you definitely need to a try virtual field trip! 

There are so many options out there for virtual field trips. A quick Google search will show tons of ideas! You can take a virtual field trip to the zoo, an aquarium, museums, science centers, farms, national parks, and more! Don’t see a virtual field trip idea that calls to you? You can also use Google Slides to give students a virtual tour of your chosen location. 

Of all of the virtual field trip options, my favorite is a virtual field trip to the BEACH. 

I created this virtual field trip beach day for elementary students! To start, students will “take a flight” to the beach, then, once they arrive, the learning starts. Students will learn about beach safety, ocean life, what to do at the beach, and more! 

virtual field trip

Then, students can participate in some learning activities including labeling, counting, and writing. 

virtual field trip

Included in this resource you’ll get 8 Google Slides with titles, edit text boxes, directions, and movable parts along with: 

  • KWL chart
  • Packing a suitcase for the beach activity
  • 1 minute take off flight video
  • 7 minute beach field trip video (beach safety tips, car ride to the beach, animals at the beach, people swimming, and interview questions of what people like or don’t like of the beach)
  • Sequencing events, 2 writing prompts, counting objects (under 10), labeling parts, beach song, and comprehension questions
  • One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson. 

virtual field trip

Since this is a virtual activity, it can easily be done in the classroom or while distance learning. It makes a great end of the school year activity! 

I hope you and your students love these virtual field trip ideas!

Looking for more end of the year activities to do with your students? Check out my post here on memory books! 

 

virtual field trip


 

Awesome Classroom Organization Ideas That Will Make Your Life Easier

Organization can truly make or break a successful classroom. When dealing with a group of people, especially children, organization can create more effective use of time and easier transitions. In unorganized classrooms, students and teachers spend time finding materials or explaining what to do rather than focusing on content. 

When students know routines and classrooms are organized, teachers can spend more time on the “meat” of teaching. With the demands placed on today’s teachers to provide rigorous instruction in a limited amount of time, classroom organization is key!

Organizing the physical space in a classroom helps students use materials effectively with ease. Here are some of my favorite classroom organization ideas. 

  •  Labeled bins are a necessity for small items such as math manipulatives. Students can then retrieve items and put them away with little intervention from the teacher. Label things like art supplies, construction paper, pencils, and other classroom tools. 
  • Book bins are also helpful, as teachers can organize reading materials by genre, reading level, or even seasonal themes. You can create a section of your classroom for books only with different types in different colored boxes. 
  • For individual desks or tables, frequently used materials should have specific homes. This way students can transition between activities easily and find the tools they need quickly. 
  • Use a colored filing system for your own supplies so you can easily find resources for your lessons when teaching. 
  • Create a substitute teacher bin. Store your sub plans and everything they will need in that. So if you ever need to take the day off, you know that everything is ready. 

If you are working in a blended classroom or distance learning there are some other classroom organization ideas that may be helpful to keep your class running smoothly. 

As many classrooms now operate at least partly in the virtual world, organization and routines are somewhat different than in previous years. Routines and classroom procedures are still of vital importance in order to keep the virtual or blended classroom operating smoothly. 

  • Online safety rules should be practiced by the class and reviewed frequently in order to avoid issues on the internet. Teachers can use a google slide to go over the rules frequently until students know them well.
  •  Daily calendar procedures can also be presented digitally, providing students with a routine that is organized and comfortable. 
  • For blended classrooms, social distancing rules are important for the physical organization of students and transitioning between areas. Hang easy to understand signs around the classroom as a visual reminder for students to keep their distance. Putting tape on the floor to mark spots students should stand on to keep their distance may also help. 

If you would like to prepare your blended classroom for an amazing year with routines, check out my  Distance Learning Back to School Bundle

classroom organization

Using Google classroom, this bundle has everything you need to start the new year right. Social distancing rules are included, as well as virtual Meet the Teacher slides and online safety rules. Once your students are familiar with these routines, you’ll be set for a smooth year! 

classroom organization

Organizing your classroom does require some prep work, but the benefits will last the entire year! What are your favorite classroom organization tips? Let me know in the comments!

If you want more tips for setting up your classroom, check out my post here on decoration ideas! 

classroom organization